The thrill of seeing the white-hot neon silently announcing itself among the darkened boutiques was absolutely unmatched by any other retail debut in this town. It looks right at home here, actually. Yes, Moss has finally brought its New York design extravaganza to Los Angeles, but it feels like they left a few things behind. For one, the store itself isn't much of a store--or a museum--at least not yet. There were only about a dozen pieces out last night, and only one encased in Moss' signature glass boxes.

But back to the party. The pretty, male crowd was made up of mostly deep-pocketed clients--we guessed from the number of people who could list what Moss purchases they had made in the last year--and lots and lots and lots of press. Guests anxiously anticipated the refreshments from Centovini (the Moss-owned restaurant in NY), but it was actually just 'vini--white, of course. And to quote one well-dressed woman who squawked nosily as she walked towards the door..."What? No gift bags?"

As for the "Glitter & Smoke" theatrical nature of the opening, besides the stunning columns of crystals--shimmering, glamorous perfection and oh-so LA--the scene was predictably fabulous, but much more demure than we'd expected. Maybe if Maarten Baas had burned the piano on site? Imagine the theatrical nature of Murray Moss trying to micromanage that!